Sunday, November 27, 2016

In fact, the Canadian government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly vowed to cancel the purchase of the controversial fighter jet.

Now, the country has announced plans to purchase 18 older Super Hornet fighter jets as an “interim measure”, CBC reports, putting the country closer to officially cancelling the order.

The country’s defence ministry has also called for an “open and transparent” competition to select a replacement for the CF-18 jets. According to Popular Mechanics, the replacement won’t be the F-35.

The F-35 fighter jet has experienced a ton of problems, with Canada pushing hard for an exit

The new competition will result in the CF-18’s retirement being pushed from the original 2025 date, ostensibly forcing the government to acquire the Super Hornet to augment the CF-18s.

“That means we must continue to fly the legacy CF-18s throughout the 2020s, no matter what,” Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan was quoted as saying by CBC.

The Super Hornet offers a host of improvements over the CF-18 and standard F/A-18 design, including a better radar system, compatibility with helmet-mounted cueing systems (allowing the pilot to essentially look at a target to lock onto it) and larger displays.

Nevertheless, Lockheed-Martin insists that the F-35 is the best plane for the job.

“Although disappointed with this decision, we remain confident the F-35 is the best solution to meet Canada’s operational requirements at the most affordable price, and the F-35 has proven in all competitions to be lower in cost than fourth-generation competitors,” the company was quoted as saying by the Canadian publication.

Saturday, November 26, 2016

The F-35 now packs more punch: specifically, the 20-foot Standard Missile, or SM-6, complete with a 140-pound warhead. But not fired from under the wing — rather from a nearby Aegis destroyer.

In September, the Marines completed a proof-of-concept test in which a Marine Corps F-35B detected a cruise-missile decoy (a drone), passed targeting information to a remote sensor, and set up a shot by an Aegis combat system of the sort you’ll find on modern destroyers. A battery controlled by the Aegis fired a live SM-6 missile, which took down the drone.

“It was a metal-on-metal engagement from a significant range. I would say more than a tactically significant range. It was a very, very impressive shot to see,” Lt. Col. Richard “BC” Rusnok told reporters aboard the amphibious assault ship America, where the Marines are conducting tests with the vertical-lift F-35B. The test took place at White Sands, New Mexico, aboard the USS Desert Ship facility that the Navy uses for missile tests there.

The process of selecting the target and then launching a missile to take it out was virtually automatic, said Rusnok.

“It’s super simple,” he said. “It’s targeting the way we target our own ship weapons [aboard the F-35]. There’s really no difference. It becomes a battle management issue as to who is going to engage, but the physical pushing of data is transparent to the pilot because the picture is a common picture.”

That pushing takes place over the Ku-band multi-function advanced datalink, or MADL: basically, the same encrypted datalink that stealth aircraft use to speak to one another while maintaining apparent radio silence.

The test shows that the F-35 has effectively become a lot more dangerous (so long as the datalinks are working.) Imagine you’re a radar operator in a country that has just declared war on the United States. Your country has been moving missiles and radars around on the ground, hoping to dodge American satellite cameras before you can get your shots off. You hear a whoosh overhead, a squadron of F-35s electronically surveying the landscape for appropriate targets to take out, and behind them, huge SM-6 missiles are flying at supersonic speeds to hit those targets. The F-35 has become a sort of fighter bomber hybrid.

“Aegis cruisers bring a weapons payload that you just couldn’t fit on an airplane. We’re talking about dozens and dozens of Standard Missiles, SM-6s, that can be targeted by airborne platforms at a much longer distance,” said Col. George “Sack” Rowell.

“Nothing else can do that,” said Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, the Marines’ deputy commandant for aviation.

Davis said the Marines are on track to deploy the F-35B to Marine Corps Air Station on Iwakuni, Japan, in January. Japan’s air self-defense forces are also going to acquire 42 F-35s.

The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system is present on 33 ships, 16 of which are deployed to the Pacific.

The Chief Pentagon weapons tester has againsignalled his concerns over the progress and readiness of the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter for initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E).

In a memo sent to US Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall (who spoke at this year’s ADM Congress), the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) J Michael Gilmore was critical of continued schedule delays, insufficient testing progress and other major systems challenges.

Gilmore has concluded that the program will not be able to deliver the full combat capability within the planned System Development and Demonstration (SDD) period, citing delays in delivery of the Block 3F missions systems software, inadequate aircraft availability, shortfalls in the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), inadequate preparations for IOT&E, and the need to complete all planned and agreed-to developmental testing, to name but a few.

“Gilmore has concluded that the program will not be able to deliver the full combat capability within the planned SDD period.”

As a result, DOT&E stated the program will not be able to commence IOT&E in August 2017 and the Block 3F final warfighting software load will not be available before May 2018.

“The F-35 program clearly lacks sufficient time and resources to deliver full combat capability and be ready for operational testing and deployment to combat if it is unwisely constrained to operate within its currently planned budget and schedule,” Gilmore said.

He called for additional resources to deliver the full Block 3F warfighting capability and warned that failure to adequately finish SDD, “will result in far greater risks and costs than completing it now”.

Joint Program Office (JPO) spokesperson Joe DellaVedova told Aviation Weekthe JPO estimates the program will need an additional $US530 million to complete the $US57 billion SDD program, primarily to pay for new requirements and unforeseen delays. He said most of the funding would come from other F-35 JPO funding sources to minimise the impact on the US Services and US DOD overall budget requirements and that no additional funding would be required from international partners, such as Australia.

Production Costs

The F-35 Lightning II was designed to be an affordable 5th Generation fighter, taking advantage of economies of scale and commonalities between the three variants. Since we built the first F-35, production costs have dropped 55 percent.

An F-35A purchased in 2018 and delivered in 2020 will be $85 million, which is the equivalent of $75 million in today’s dollars.

The U.S. Government and F-35 industrial team continue to collaborate to further reduce F-35 costs for future production lots. Since the F-35 program Technical Baseline Review in 2011, the team has studied and successfully implemented numerous affordability measures to drive costs out of the program.

Concurrency

The F-35 program, like many fighter programs, includes an overlap of flight test and initial production known as concurrency. Concurrency allows for a steady production and supply chain pace and faster delivery of the F-35 to the warfighter.

Because of concurrency, early production aircraft require some retrofits to implement changes based on flight test discoveries. As the flight test program matures, the risk of new discoveries declines. As risk declines, fewer retrofits are required in later production lots. In June 2013, Department of Defense concurrency cost estimates dropped by $500 million for the first five production lots due to more accurate estimating methods and proactive efforts to make updates more efficient.

Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Joint Program Office share concurrency costs through the first four production lots. Beginning with Low Rate Initial Production Lot 5, Lockheed Martin took on a greater share of known concurrency costs.

Operating and Support Costs

Just as program maturity has led to more reliable concurrency estimates, increased knowledge of F-35 operations have resulted in more reliable operating and support costs. In August 2013, the F-35 Joint Program Office reported a 22 percent decrease in operating cost estimates across the 55-year life of the Lightning II. Estimates include expenses like spare parts, repairs and fuel. We expect cost estimates to continue to decline as the program matures further and operating and support affordability initiatives are implemented.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been hailed as the 'most expensive weapon in history, costing $400bn.

Now, it is finally set for its first mission - despite a last ditch warning from the Pentagon’s top weapon testing official that it is not ready and could put pilot's lives at risk.

In a memo obtained by the Project On Government Oversight, Michael Gilmore, Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, warns that the Joint Strike Fighter Program Office is simply cut short the plane's development phase in order to pretend that schedule and cost goals are being met.

'The purpose of this memorandum is to document my continuing concerns regarding progress in the -35 JSF program as you prepare to conduct the upcoming Defense Acquisition Board review,' the note says, according to War is boring.

It calls for the entire programme to be restructured so enough testing can be completed.

'The primary concerns were that the program appeared to be prematurely ending System Development and Demonstration (SDD) and was not taking the necessary steps to be ready for which will be conducted using realistic combat missions fully consistent with our war plans and threat assessments.'

It lists the problems faced, including everything from a lack of testing on guns to issues with the head mounted displays pilots will use in combat.

'If the program continues with plans to close out SDD prematurely, it will carry the high risk of failing and having to repeat the approximately $300-million operational test, and failing for many years to provide the full combat capability Block 3F has long been meant and claimed to provide.

'Finally, the combination of unfnished SDD work and the likely follow-on Operational test would significantly delay, and increase the cost of, achieving the important capabilities which are urgently needed to counter current and emerging threats.

'I therefore recommend very strongly that the program be restructured now and provided the additional resources it clearly requires to deliver its long-planned and sorely needed full Block 3F combat capability.'

The Marines will begin moving 16 F-35Bs to Iwakuni Air Station in Japan early next year, it has been revealed.

The Marines will be the first force to deploy the Lockheed Martin jet aboard the USS Wasp next year, and will deploy a second contingent soon after, aboard the USS Essex.

'We will learn from that, and see what capabilities we need to further develop,' said Marine Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, the commanding general of the Marines' Combat Development Command, according toDefense One.

'A lot of it's going to be the school of hard knocks.'

The jets will deploy as part of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 in early 2017, a Marine spokeswoman said.

At year's end, six of that squadron's planes will attach to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Following over a decade of de and with a price tag of $400 billion for 2,457 planes, the fifth-generation fighter has been plagued with issues.

But it appeared the tide had finally turned earlier this year when the U.S. Air Force has declared an initial squadron of Lockheed Martin Corp F-35A fighter jets ready for combat.

Now, the Pentagon's director of operational testing has poured cold water on the announcement, slamming the planes readiness.

Michael Gilmore, stated the F-35 is 'actually not on a path toward success but instead on a path toward failing to deliver' the plane's full combat capabilities on time, according to Bloomberg.

Gilmore also said the plane is 'running out of time and money' to address deficiencies

'Achieving full combat capability with the Joint Strike Fighter is at substantial risk' of not occurring before development is supposed to end and realistic combat testing begins, he said of the F-35.

The U.S. Air Force has declared an initial squadron of Lockheed Martin Corp F-35A fighter jets ready for combat, marking a major milestone for a program that has faced cost overruns and delays.

However, the most complex software capabilities 'are just being added' and new problems requiring fixes and verification testing 'continue to be discovered at a substantial rate,' Gilmore wrote to Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James; General David Goldfein, the service's chief of staff; and Frank Kendall, the Pentagon's acquisitions chief.

The action is another achievement for the $379 billion program, the Pentagon's largest weapons project.

The Air Force's decision follows one by the U.S. Marine Corps in July 2015 declaring a first squadron of F-35s ready for combat.

'The U.S. Air Force decision to make the 15 F-35As ... combat ready sends a simple and powerful message to America's friends and foes alike - the F-35 can do its mission,' the program's chief, Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan, said in a statement.

Dan Grazier, a fellow of the Project On Government Oversight, said, however, 'This is nothing but a public relations stunt.'

He added that it would not be possible to know if the F-35 jets were ready for combat until after initial operational testing.

'The program is not doing everything they wanted it to do ... But they're at a point now where it is stabilizing and so it is progress,' said Todd Harrison, a defense analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies

Officials say the F-35 will give the U.S. military the ability to detect enemy aircraft and other threats far beyond current ranges, allowing the jets to strike targets and disappear long before they are detected.

The U.S. Air Force plans to buy a total of 1,763 F-35A conventional takeoff and landing jets in coming years and will operate the largest F-35 fleet in the world.

Air Force General Herbert Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, said work to upgrade the jet would continue in areas such as software, making the displays more intuitive and boosting the ability to share information between aircraft.

The aircraft could provide basic air support at this point but did not have everything the final version would, such as an infrared pointer, Carlisle said, adding that he would try to get the jets deployed to Europe and the Pacific within 18 months.

Lockheed is building three models of the F-35 Lightning II for the U.S. military and 10 countries that have already ordered the jets: Britain, Australia, Norway, Italy, Turkey, Denmark, the Netherlands, Israel, South Korea and Japan.

The Pentagon's F-35 program office said it remained in negotiations with Lockheed over long-delayed contracts for the next two batches of F-35 jets, deals worth about $15 billion.

'We're seeking a fair deal for the F-35 enterprise and industry,' said F-35 program spokesman Joe DellaVedova.

The program, launched in 2001, has made strides in recent years after huge cost overruns and technical problems that sent the project's cost up nearly 70 percent.

Problems with the fighter jet included issues with the radar software and increased risk of neck injury to lower-weight pilots when they ejected from the aircraft.

Industry and U.S. defense officials say they are working hard to continue driving down the cost of the new warplanes to $85 million per plane by 2019, as well as the cost of operating them.

Senator John McCain, the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said he welcomed the announcement but made clear he intended to keep a close eye on the hugely expensive program.

'The Senate Armed Services Committee will continue to exercise rigorous oversight of the Joint Strike Fighter program's long-delayed System Development and Demonstration phase as well as the start of the operational test and evaluation phase,' McCain said in a statement.

To become battle ready, at least a dozen individual F-35 must demonstrate their ability to drop bombs and shoot down other planes.

Each jet must be upgraded to a specific software package, and plugged into the complex logistics cloud that manages maintenance.

The F-35 project office had previously set an Aug. 1 target date.

The project has been plagued with delays.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's record on cost, schedule and performance has been a scandal and a tragedy, Senator John McCain told senior Pentagon officials earlier this year.

McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the aircraft's development schedule has stretched to 15 years, deliveries of the F-35 have been delayed, and costs have skyrocketed.

'It's been a scandal and the cost overruns have been disgraceful,' McCain said.

Most recently, problems with its logistics software system grounded the entire fleet.

The issue is with what the Department of Defense officials call the 'brains' of plane, also known as the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS).

A Government Accountability Office report says a failure 'could take the entire fleet offline' because there is no backup system.

The report also says a lack of testing done of the software will mean it's not ready for its deployment by the Air Force in August and the Navy in 2018.

The 'brains' of the F35 are one of three major components, with the other two being the engine and airframe.

CNN points out that the software runs on ground computers rather than operating on the plane itself.

It is designed to support operations, mission planning and to spot any maintenance issues with the vehicle.

'Program officials said that if ALIS is not fully functional, the F-35 could not be operated as frequently as intended,' the report said.

'But a DoD commissioned plan found that schedule slippage and functionality problems with ALIS could lead to $20-100 billion in additional costs.'

So far, the software has been so flawed that maintenance crews have had to resort labour-intensive alternatives.

According to National Interest, in one instance maintainers had to manually burn data onto CDs and to send the massive files across a civilian WiFi network.

One major problem, the report said, is that the F-35 data produced goes through a single main operating unit which has no back up.

'The F-35 is still in development, and this is the time when technical challenges are expected,' Lt. Genernal Chris Bogdon told CNN.

'However, we believe the combined government and industry team will resolve current issues and future discoveries,' he said.

Lead defense contractor for the plane, Lockheed Martin, insists development of the logistics software is on schedule.

'As ALIS development continues, our focus is on the warfighter and delivering the most effective, efficient fleet management system to sustain the F-35 over the next five decades of operations,' said Sharon Parsley, a spokeswoman for Lockheed Martin.

'The recommendations by the GAO are in line with the actions already underway in preparation for full-rate production and worldwide sustainment.'